


Sunflower

by TechnoSkittles



Category: She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Angst, Character Death, Diner Date, F/F, First Kiss, Fluff, I just wanted to try a new format, I'd say I'm sorry, I'll add more tags as things come up, Mutual Pining, Pining, Promposal.....of a sort, Sexual Tension, Slice of Life, Stargazing, and I kinda am to be fair, but look at these gay babies, but yeah I'll be uploading a chapter a day for the next week, chapter 8 is also sad so, do NOT read chapter 7, don't be deterred by the short chapter length at first, finally uploading this, goin to prom together, heavily influenced by sunflower from into the spiderverse, if you don't wanna be sad skip chaps 7 & 8, if you like being happy, look at these tragically hopeless gay babies, lookin at stars, making out in the moonlight, nothing lavish, oh boi here comes the prom trope, okay so, these useless fucking lesbians, they do get longer later, they're in high school what did you expect, things basically take a 180 mood wise, this ended up being sort of a vent fic for me, welcome to my 7 day fic, well you will if you read the author's note on the last chapter, whoa! surprise chapter 8, wooooo yeah, wow bet you didn't think you were gonna get a life lesson from a she ra fic didja?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-21
Updated: 2019-01-28
Packaged: 2019-10-14 03:25:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 8
Words: 6,031
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17500652
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TechnoSkittles/pseuds/TechnoSkittles
Summary: A week is such a short period in the grand scheme of things.But this week would be important. It would be memorable. Forever.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hey so this is something I've had in the works for awhile now. Got stuck for a bit, but I'm nearly done (I still have the last chapter to write but I'm gonna knock that out tonight or tomorrow after some homework).
> 
> I know this chapter's short and unfortunately so will the next chapter, but they get longer! I promise! And it'll all be worth it I swear :)

"You've been humming that same song for the past ten minutes."

Adora looked up from her textbook, craning her neck to look at Catra sprawled across her bed. "Oh. Sorry. Am I disturbing you?"

Catra shrugged, idly flipping the page of her magazine. "Not really. I gave up on studying about half an hour ago." She propped her head on her hand, rolling her gaze lazily to look down at Adora on the floor. "But I'm seconds away from clawing out your vocal chords because now it's going to be stuck in my head all  _week_."

Her threat was empty and Adora knew that because she giggled, even if she did try and hide it behind her hand. But Catra still knew from the way her nose scrunched up and how she tilted her head to let her hair flop over her face while her shoulders shook. Her heart stuttered in her chest and she curled her hand into a fist to resist the urge to brush golden locks away, fought the impulse to see Adora's glowing features.

"I can stop."

There was a long pause where Catra looked away, back down to her magazine. The conversation seemed like it was over.

"I didn't say that," she said finally.

From the corner of her eye she saw the smile pull at Adora's lips before the room was filled with her soft humming once more.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Give it up for day 2!!!
> 
> Next chapter is much longer I promise. Just be patient.

"Adora  _please_. Weaver's gonna  _kill_  me if I don't turn in another assignment!"

"You and I  _both_  know you had plenty of time to do this last night, Catra!"

Said girl pouted and leaned more heavily on Adora's back, her arms propped on the lunch table in front of them. "I tried to do it, I swear!"

Adora turned her head, expression deadpan and eyes narrowed. "Uh huh."

Catra lifted one of her hands to scratch her chin. "Okay, so I  _definitely_  took out the worksheet and just...forgot?"

" _Catra_ …"

She sighed, shaking her head, knowing that lecturing her for the thousandth time would just be a waste of effort and breath. She put her phone down on table, the newsreel she'd been scrolling through still up, before shifting to turn more to try and look at her best friend. "Fine. Where's the worksheet?"

The excited relief emanating from Catra was practically palpable as she pushed off Adora's back. She rifled briefly in her jacket pocket before procuring a folded sheet of paper which Adora gingerly took with a disapproving glare. That look was quickly wiped off her face however when Catra clutched both sides of her head and brought her forward to lay a big, wet kiss on her forehead. She scrunched her face up in faux disgust, trying to ignore how her face definitely was warmer now.

"Thanks babe! I owe ya one!"

"Yeah, yeah. Now go back to class before you get accused of skipping again."

Catra offered her a wink and a two-fingered salute before swiveling on her heel, shoving her hands in her pockets and whistling a tune as she walked jauntily away.

Adora watched her go, waiting until she was out of sight before opening the worksheet with a sigh. She dug a pencil out of her backpack, scribbling down the answers she already knew as she picked up humming where she'd heard Catra left off.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bees!!!!!
> 
> For those of you who don't know, I also ship Bumbleby and we've been having a great time with the last few episodes so.....BEES!!!!!!!

Adora stood with her hands on her hips, on the edge of the shade that Catra was taking solace in. Her ponytail swayed in the breeze and her cheeks were pink from exertion. Her expression was less than amused.

"Skipping gym again?"

Catra leaned back on her hands, curling her fingers in the grass and putting on her best pout. "I twisted my ankle."

Adora chuckled and rolled her eyes. She crouched down and rested her elbows on her knees. "Samsky actually bought that?"

When Catra only shrugged and tried to look away, feigning disinterest, Adora leaned forward and poked her ankle. A single blue eye raised to look at her before rolling up in playful exasperation.

"My  _other_  ankle, dummy."

Adora nodded and pressed her lips together. "Ah." Then she stood up to her full height and stretched her arms above her head, noticing that Catra's attention was back on her. "You know, one day she's going to see right through your bullshit."

Catra whistled lowly, eyebrows raised and eyes alight with mischief. "Whoa there, Adora. Say that any louder and people might think you're a delinquent."

Adora frowned and crossed her arms, hip cocking to the side. "I curse plenty and you know that."

Catra ignored her. "If you keep that up, who knows? You might start skipping class with me. I can show you all my hiding spots. Tell you all my tips and tricks." She wiggled her eyebrows and Adora had to use the utmost inner restraint to not laugh at her best friend's antics.

Instead she sighed and shook her head in mock disapproval. "You think you're so clever, don't you?"

A smirk. "Who's the one sitting in the shade and who's the one sweating in the hot sun?"

Adora scowled and rolled her eyes, dropping her gaze down and to the right before gasping and pointing a finger to the spot right beside Catra. "Oh! A bee!"

The screech that ripped from her friend's throat accompanied by the panicked scrambling had Adora doubled over in laughter. Laughter that only got worse when Catra, now on her feet a good distance away from her spot, saw that there was, in fact, no bee. Through slitted eyes Adora could see the heated glare that Catra shot her way and knew that now was the time to make her escape.

But….

"Oh," she breathed through her wheezing. "Looks like your ankle's all better!"

" _You brat!_ "

Okay.  _That_  was her cue to leave. Still impaired by her chronic laughter, she rose to her full height and started a stuttered jog away, snorting before breaking into another peal of high-pitched laughter as Catra gave chase.

After class, she was getting dressed in the locker room when Catra entered, scowling and huffy after being lectured by their gym teacher. Adora waited until Catra's eyes found her own, offering a smile to mirror her deep frown, before sticking her tongue out and chuckling.

"Bzzz, bzzz!" she called out, laughing harder when Catra flipped her the bird.

She was going through her hair with a brush when Catra plopped down on the bench beside her locker. Her hands were deep in her pockets and she was slouching, eyes still narrowed. Adora ran her fingers through her hair, following the path of her brush and began to hum. She saw Catra perk up at the sound and she smiled toothily before opening her mouth to sing.

" _Needless to say, I keep her in check. She was all bad-bad, nevertheless."_

She paused briefly, shaking out her hair and placing her brush back in her bag, watching her best friend from the corner of her eye. She seemed to be thinking, nodding her head to an invisible beat. Then…

" _Callin' it quits now, baby, I'm a wreck. Crash at my place, baby, you're a wreck."_

Adora smiled brightly and when she turned to face Catra, she was smiling too.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi my life is a mess right now and the only reason I haven't lost all sense of time is because of this fic
> 
> please send for help
> 
> also yaaaay. we're like, at the midway point for this fic now. Almost theeeeere. woo

Catra walked her fingers over the array of CD's, eyes lazily trailing across titles. Beside her Adora was doing much the same, although her touch was slower, less driven. As if she was doing so just to be doing something at all. Her hand limply walked off the row she was sifting through before disappearing into her jacket pocket.

Then she was stepping forward and dropping her head onto Catra's shoulder, chest pressing against her back. Catra's nail caught on one of the plastic cases and her brain shut off, making breathing a very difficult task all of a sudden.

"I want a smoothie," whined Adora.

Catra licked her lips and furrowed her brows together, struggling to collect her scattered brain cells to focus on the task at hand. "We'll go to the food court once I find what I'm looking for, okay?"

Adora hummed but stayed put. After a few seconds, she pressed closer, nuzzling the side of her face into Catra's neck, impatient.

She sighed and turned her head, instantly regretting the decision when she got a faceful of hair. Catra scrunched up her nose and turned her head back down, the imprint of mango permeating her senses. "Do you want to go now and I'll just meet you there?"

Adora shifted behind her and within seconds two sturdy arms were wrapped around her waist. The touch made her entire body stiffen as if it'd been doused in starch, her heart hammering away wildly in her chest. All bodily functions were immediately forgotten, tossed out the window, locked away and the key falling to the bottom of a well.

"No, I'm good here," Adora mumbled, moving her head so she was laying on her shoulder now.

Time was of the essence now. Catra returned to her task with a renewed sense of vigor, fingers swiftly rifling through the vast selection. Titles passed in a blur, letters jumbled together, album covers a blur of color. All with the warmth in her back burning through her t-shirt, searing her skin and branding her with the imprint of each line and curve of Adora's body.

Shakily, she yanked one CD from the selection, huffing out a breath and yielding it high enough for Adora to see. "Found it!" she choked out, foot already stepping forward to wrench herself from Adora's hold.

Lethargically, Adora lifted her head from her shoulder, blinking up at the CD that Catra had selected. Her eyes flashed with recognition at the album cover and she pulled away to smirk at Catra. "Really?"

Catra puffed out her cheeks and tucked the CD to her chest. "Shut up. This is all your fault."

Adora's laughter followed her all the way to the register.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay on this one. I had a rough morning and so my mood's been kinda bleh the whole day. I actually almost forgot entirely (which would've really sucked)

"If I have to hear  _one more_  bitch squeal about prom, I'm going to saw my own ears off."

Adora plucked a fry from the plate situated in-between them, biting off half of it and smirking. "They're just having fun, Catra."

"Yeah, but do they have to do it around me?"

Adora rolled eyes and tossed the rest of the fry in her mouth. The diner they were at was kind of slow for a Friday, but like Catra had brought up, prom  _was_  coming up pretty soon. Most kids their age - the same ones that were the frequent patrons here - were probably out shopping for it. And most girls were probably going on diets and watching their weight to be able to fit in their "perfect dresses".

The thought made her uncomfortable and as compensation she grabbed a fistful of fries from the plate.

After chewing thoughtfully, she folded her arms on the table and leaned forward on them, looking at Catra through semi-lidded eyes. Then, she thought better of herself and leaned back into her seat, back hitting the upholstered pleather with a weak thud. "So what do you think?" When Catra raised her eyebrows at her, Adora sighed and bit her lip. "About prom?"

Catra frowned and waved her fry around in the air. "I just  _told you_  how annoying those girls are."

Adora shook her head. "Not them. Prom. The actual dance, you grump."

Catra leaned back in her own seat, tossing her fry into her mouth before crossing her arms. "What about it? The fact that it's the school's lame attempt to make school a less miserable experience which, by the way, backfires immensely because then you have all these people miserable about having no one to go with? Really, I think only the top percent of 'popular' kids actually enjoy the damn thing." Then she leaned forward, elbows propped on the table. "Why do you ask?"

Adora ignored the weird sinking feeling in her stomach. Instead she turned her focus on the plate of fries, refusing to let Catra analyze her too closely. "No reason."

Knowing that Catra wouldn't be so willing to drop the subject as easy as that, Adora took her fries and dunked them into her milkshake before shoving them into her mouth. A brief glance up at Catra's scrunched up face told her she'd been successful in her distraction.

"You are  _so_  goddamn weird, you know that?"

Adora made a show of chewing slowly and rolling her eyes up, adding in a sultry moan to tie it all together. "I have absolutely  _no_  clue what you're talking about."

Then Catra was tugging the plate of fries closer to her with a smirk, arm coming around to wrap around it protectively. "I won't let you defile the sanctity of fries any longer."

Adora laughed and lunged forward, laughing louder when Catra's other hand lashed out to smack hers away.

"Begone you wretched fiend! Away with your dastardly ways!" Catra shouted, attracting the attention of some of the other patrons. Their confusion and Catra's dramatics only served to fuel Adora's laughter until she was slinking down in her seat, clutching her stomach.

The bell above the door rang out and after a beat, "Adora!"

Adora opened her eyes and looked to the source of the voice, wiping away tears of mirth. Her eyes landed on brown curls and then trailed down to a familiar, squashed face, beaming at her.

She waved. "Hey!"

Curiosity piqued, Catra turned around to see who Adora had addressed before whipping around, shoulders hunched and eyes bugged out with a barely restrained laugh. "Wow Adora! Seriously? Your friends with  _Caleb_?"

Caleb had already gone over to the diner counter and taken a seat when Adora redirected her attention back to Catra with a frown. "Come on, Catra. He's not that bad a guy."

"No, no, I didn't say that." Her expression said otherwise and Adora crossed her arms. Catra scoffed and rolled her eyes. "Honestly though, you have to admit he's kind of…." She leaned forward and lowered her voice. "Weird, right?"

Adora sighed and leaned forward, sparing just a brief glance to Caleb again. He was hunched over a menu, fingers drumming an off-beat on the counter, lips moving quickly in a silent mumble. "He's got his….odd qualities, sure.  _But_ ," she interjected when she saw Catra's self-satisfied look. "He's really nice. I talk to him in the library sometimes. We both hang out there a lot."

"I think he's more hiding than hanging out," Catra mumbled, popping another fry in her mouth.

"Well, I don't exactly blame him. No one's exactly very nice to him. But I think he's just lonely."

Catra nodded then snapped. "Right! Genius, Adora! Befriend the weird kid so when he shoots up the school, your life is spared!"

Adora frowned. "Catra that's not funny."

Catra groaned and threw herself back into her seat, tossing her hands up in the air. "Fine! Sorry. I'll stop now."

Adora pursed her lips, fingers poking at the few fries littering the plate. "I think people should just give him more of a chance is all. He's really sweet. Just misunderstood." She raised her eyes, a particular look about them. "A lot like someone else I know."

Catra scowled. "Fuck off."

Adora shrugged and took a sip of her milkshake, smacking her lips when she pulled away. "Hey," she said in a lighter tone, trying to diffuse the tension. "I heard that the community's going to be hosting a sunflower picking day sometime next week. Think you'd wanna go?"

"What, at the field down the street from your house?"

Adora hummed in confirmation, leaning forward on one arm and using her free hand to tuck away a flyaway hair. "I figured it be fun to check out. You in?"

Catra sighed but gave her a slight smile and Adora knew that she had her. "You're such a dork. But yeah, sure. If you wanna go, I guess I'm game."

Adora pinched her milkshake straw between her fingers, lingering, not ready to take another sip just yet. She smirked. "Wanna make it an actual game?"

She watched as Catra shifted subtly, not willing to give away her facade of nonchalance but knowing that her interest was piqued anyway. "What kind of game?" she asked lazily, eyes hardly looking at her.

"Whoever picks the most sunflowers in fifteen minutes buys fries and milkshakes next week?"

The deal was irresistible and Adora knew it. She saw it in the small smile on Catra's face, the curl of her fingers around her biceps, the way those eyes finally looked up, piercing through her.

"You are  _so_  on."


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whooooooooa. We're almost finished!!!!
> 
> This will be the first multi-chaptered fic I've ever finished in my entire fic writing career and I've been doing this for a decade.
> 
> I'm proud of myself but also extremely ashamed.
> 
> Ah well. Have some stargazing gay nerds
> 
> (I actually had to look up constellations and astrology for this chapter. Look at my newfound knowledge gained in 10 minutes)

"I swear to God you're making all these up."

Adora chuckled and turned her head to look at Catra. "You're just not looking hard enough."

"How hard am I supposed to look at  _stars_?"

Adora rolled her eyes, sensing Catra's growing impatience. "Give me your hand." When her friend showed reluctance to do so, she reached out to grab it anyway and scooted closer. She could've sworn she heard Catra's breath hitch, but she ignored it as to not become too hopeful. Instead, she focused on getting Catra to extend her pointer finger, slowly tracing one of the constellations.

"That's Cassiopeia," she explained. "The Queen."

Catra snorted. "Cornucopia?"

Something in Adora's forehead twitched and she dropped Catra's hand, tucking hers back to her side. "Fine. I'll stop."

She heard Catra sigh then felt her roll over, hand plucking Adora's up and raising them together again. "No. I'm sorry. Keep going."

Taking a moment to look at Catra, she tightened her grip on her hand and retraced the constellation. "Cassiopeia," she repeated. "She's easier to see in the fall."

"Okay." Catra turned her head upside down with a smile full of silent laughter. "Probably a lot easier when you're not right next to a road too."

Adora looked in the direction that Catra was, turning her head upside down too and sighing. "Yeah. The light pollution from the road and city definitely don't help." She shifted her head back to a more comfortable position. "Plus she's made up of two supernovas, so even though she has a light of younger stars, they're hard to see through all the dust."

Catra turned to look at her. "How do you even know all this?"

She smiled. "You do know that the library is more than just a place to hide while you skip class, right? There's books in there with this information, believe it or not." She laughed when Catra nudged her shoulder with her own. As it died down, she moved both of their hands over to another constellation, slowly tracing the stars to ensure that Catra could see.

"This one's my favorite: Pegasus, the Flying Horse."

Catra snorted and dropped her hand. "Gee, I wonder why."

This time Adora bumped her shoulder into Catra's. "Shut up!"

The sound of Catra's laughter ringing out into the dark night blanketed Adora in a comfortable warmth. She felt her cheeks heat up and her grip on Catra's hand faltered as she stared, mouth gaping, at the girl beside her. Her eyes, squeezed shut; fangs poking out over her soft lips; freckles dancing with each laugh, prompting Adora to reach out and touch them, trace them and form constellations right there on her best friend's face….

"Hey, show me another," Catra said, breaking Adora out of her reverie.

Clearing her throat and quickly turned her face upwards, glad that the cloak of night could hide the color in her face, Adora tightened her grip, moving Catra's hand again. "This one's Gemini, the Twins."

Catra nodded, mouth circling in an 'o' shape. "Like the zodiac sign?"

"Exactly!" She traced a pattern of one set of stars. "That one's Castor," then she traced the other set, "and that one's Pollux."

"They have names?"

"Um, yeah?" Adora dropped their hands, shaking her arm out to get the blood flowing again. "They're based on Greek mythology. Sons of the queen of Sparta, inseparable since birth. One day, Castor was killed and Pollux was so upset he begged Zeus to kill him so he could be with Castor again. Zeus was apparently so moved by the gesture that he allowed it and agreed to let them be together for eternity. Immortalized by the stars."

Catra whistled lowly. "Wow. That's...some deep shit right there."

"It's Greek mythology. I'm not sure why you're so surprised." She picked at the threads of the fraying blanket beneath them. "And actually, that's just the shorthand version. The full version is a lot sadder."

"Who knew stars were so depressing?" Catra quipped, but when Adora looked over, she found Catra staring back at her, a small smile on her lips. She froze in her spot, mesmerized by the way the dim moonlight accentuated her curls, painting them a sleek brown, spilling over her shoulders onto her chest.

"Hey, show me some more."

Adora gulped. "Um, yeah. Sure."

So they passed the next few minutes with Adora pointing out constellations and naming them, with Catra loosely following behind.

Eventually, "Hey Adora?"

Adora hummed, eyes roaming over the stars, looking across the vast amount of them idly.

"What do  _you_  think about prom?"

Adora blinked once. Twice. Thrice. Then, "Where did that come from?"

She felt the movement of Catra shrugging beside her. "I don't know. You asked me yesterday. Thought I'd ask you now."

Adora took a moment to consider the question carefully. What  _did_  she think about prom?

"I think," she breathed out, eyes flickering over all the constellations again, seeing them but focused more on the inside of her brain. "It sounds fun," she admitted. She bit her lip nervously, squirming a little. "Maybe a little tedious, but I think it'd be interesting to see. Especially since this is our last chance to go."

Senior year. Months away from going to college.

Adora finally tore her eyes away from the sky. Months away before her and Catra parted ways. A scary thought. One the two girls had been avoiding like the plague.

"Are you going?"

Ripped away from that train of thought (thankfully), Adora shrugged. "I'm not sure yet. Maybe."

She felt Catra shift beside her. "Would you want to go together then?"

Adora blinked once. Thrice. Five times. Then she looked over at Catra who was doing everything she could to avoid her gaze. She stared at her in nothing short of disbelief.

Hesitantly, unsure of herself, "Are you….are you asking me to go with you?"

Catra scoffed and rolled her eyes, the motion nearly a full-body one. "I think that's what I just said, isn't it?"

"Yes." The word was out of her mouth before she could stop herself. Not that she actually wanted to.

Catra sat up in surprise, looking down at her with wide eyes. "Wait, really?"

Adora rose after her, hands sliding forward and gripping Catra's on her lap. She broke out into nervous, stilted laughter, a smile tearing her face in two. "God  _yes_. I just...didn't think you were interested in the whole thing at all."

"I'm not," Catra confessed. She tucked her chin to her chest, shying away from Adora's gaze. "But...I dunno. You get all weird when it's mentioned so I figured maybe you were and….I'd hate to see you go with some weirdo guy or whatever."

Without thinking, Adora let go of both of Catra's hands to grasp her cheeks, lifting her head up. She barely took in Catra's startled expression before she pounced, closing the distance and crashing their lips together in a cacophony of clacking teeth and muffled shouts of surprise. It took a couple of seconds before Catra relaxed into the kiss, tilting her head and slotting their lips together in a much more comfortable and practical way. Adora pressed closer, soaking up her warmth, intoxicated by her taste, lost in her touch…

The revving of an engine startled them apart and both girls look over just in time to see a car speeding past them on the road, peeling away before either could really register what happened.

Adora was the first to break into laughter. "Okay Speedy McSpeedster," she joked before turning to laugh more with Catra. But it seemed like Catra had other plans.

Two hands were pulling her forward, drawing her in again, and Adora let herself be dragged into another kiss. The two girls sat there like that, locked in each other's embrace, under the light of a crescent moon and conglomeration of stars for what seemed like an eternity.

Catra was the one who finally pulled away. "Um….color?"

Adora blinked. "I...huh?"

"You know….couples going to prom normally color coordinate? What color do you wanna do?"

"Oh! Oh, um…" Adora dropped her head in thought, fingers playing with Catra's. "Red," she decided with a nod and lifted her head in time to see Catra's smirk.

"Okay. Red it is."

The two fell into each other again after that, lazily kissing under starlight, pressing close when the breeze picked up, immersing themselves in each other in a hunger that neither had realized had slowly been consuming them, finally sated.

Eventually, it was late enough that it was time to go home. The girls packed up, Catra folding up her blanket haphazardly and tucking it under her arm, holding Adora's hand.

"Text me when you get home?"

Adora smiled. "Of course." She turned to walk away but found herself caught by Catra's grip. Then she was being reeled in again, chest-to-chest, eye-level with blue and brown.

"Catra I really need to get home."

She watched those eyes flick down to her lips and blushed. "One more," Catra whispered.

Adora laughed but leaned in anyways, stopping just centimeters away. "I'll see you tomorrow, dork."

"I know. But still."

Adora obliged.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so fucking sorry

Catra woke up the next morning feel more refreshed than she had in...ages.

Pieces of the night before - tracing the pinpricks of stars, the warmth of Adora's hand over her own, the way her eyes shone like the constellations they gazed - played like a film roll as she blinked away the dregs of sleep. A fuzzy sort of warmth encompassed her with each passing memory and she clutched her blankets a little tighter to her chest, reveling in the feeling.

She remembered getting home and passing out as soon as she hit her bed. It'd been late when she'd returned and she had sunk into her bed without even an ounce of fight in her to stay awake.

But she hadn't fallen asleep before she got the text from Adora, signaling she was safely at home.

Catra laughed to herself. Well, if one could call it that. She'd just received a short message, not even a full word.

[H]

She'd gotten it as she hopped up the steps leading to her door, keys out to let herself in. She had smiled tiredly at the text, figuring that Adora was too tired to even send one word.

[Night dork]

She rolled over and swiped her phone, checking the time - 9:53 AM. Ugh. Too early for a Sunday.

But she was awake now and she figured that Adora must've been too. So after sending her a quick text, she shoved herself out of bed and rushed to throw on some clothes.

[Hey comin over. I'm STARVED. you up for pancakes?]

The thought of seeing Adora again after the events of last night brought a heavy blush to her cheeks and a goofy smile tugging on her lips. She'd have to slip out of the house discreetly, lest she get stopped and questioned by her brother. If he found out…

She went out the back door.

Wheeling her bike down the driveway, she thumbed through her phone, noticing that Adora still hadn't messaged her back and smirked. Maybe Little Miss Sunshine  _wasn't_  awake yet, after all. This was rich. With a laugh she hopped onto her bike and pedaled into the street, sweeping around the corner and speeding down to Adora's house just a couple of blocks over.

She'd just reached the edge of the sunflower field - an expansive plot of land owned by some wealthy retired family in the community - when she felt her phone buzzing in her pocket. Probably Adora. Finally greeting the waking world.

Catra wrestled her phone out of her pocket, doing her best to not drop it and keep her eyes on the road ahead of her, and was surprised to see not Adora's number, but Adora's  _mom's_. Her thumb hovered over the screen, ready to swipe and receive the call, when she noticed something just up ahead.

A circle of police cars, red and blue lights flashing. A cluster of officers at the edge of the field, parting through the tall stems of sunflowers. Hunched over something on the ground.

Catra's stomach twisted and she slowed her pace, a morbid curiosity overtaking her as she strained her neck to look at the passing scene. None of them noticed when she stopped altogether a short distance away, feet planted on the ground, curious eyes watching.

They lived in a quiet town, but she supposed no one was safe from everything. Even here.

Phone call completely forgotten, Catra tucked her phone back into her pocket and inched forward quietly, doing her best not to attract any attention. If they saw her snooping around, they'd send her away for sure (or worse, maybe even  _question_  her).

God, wait until she told Adora about  _this_.

She could already see her scrunched up face now, adorably disgusted, and hear her whining - pleading and demanding for Catra to quit it already.

Catra had finally arrived right across from the scene, leaning on her handlebars as she watched the police examine what she had already guessed to be a dead body. Her fingers twitched nervously, jumping every time each one turned too suddenly, waiting for them to discover her and ask her what she was doing.

After a few minutes had passed and nothing had really happened, she considered leaving. This was sure to be on the news later with far more details offered than she could get from just a parsing glance. But then the group of cops began to spread out, picking through the surrounding field, likely looking for any extra evidence. Finally, she could get a better glimpse of the body.

Her blood turned to ice.

It was...gruesome. Blood stained every inch of skin and clothing that Catra could see, tears from what looked like multiple stab wounds.

A letterman jacket with her school's colors, torn to shreds. Stained with dried blood.

A jacket that she had seen the night before. A jacket that Adora…

Her limbs were shaking and she could barely hear her bike clatter to the ground through the ringing in her ears. Didn't even pick up the sound of her tennis shoes slapping against asphalt. Her heart pounded in her head, plugged up her throat, drowned out all sound.

She hadn't even realized she'd been running towards the scene until she felt a pair of arms wrap around her, halting her sprint. She struggled against their hold, screamed to be let go,

" _She needs me! She needs me!"_

They held fast and strong. Catra felt her entire body shaking against their much sturdier build, knew she was too weak to break free but she tried, she  _had to_ ….

The rest noticed her hysterics and turned to face the commotion, opening up the gap further.

Through blurred vision, she saw a fan of blonde hair, matted with blood and she  _wailed_.

Her head felt light. The world around her collapsed, fading and closing in, suffocating her. More officers approached her, their voices a level buzz in her ears. She ignored them. She hated them.

" _Help her! Forget me and help her!"_

They ignored her pleas and from the corner of her eye, she noticed a couple bringing out a black, plastic square, glinting darkly in the morning sun. Her sobs caught in her throat. No.  _No_.

_Don't…._

"Don't you  _dare!"_

They dared.

In just a minute, the body was tucked away, hidden from the rest of the world, carted off into the back of the ambulance stationed just off the side of the scene.

" _Bring her back here!"_

The ambulance engine started and in seconds, it had pulled away, driving down the street. Gone. With her.

All that was left was the array of police, the broken stems of sunflowers, and her. Alone. So  _goddamn_  alone.

She heard them trying to speak to her, but she blocked out the words. Nothing they said now would ever matter. Nothing could console her. Nothing would bring her back.

Catra looked up, her cheeks soaked in tears, surveying the scene, registering the horror that was now her reality.

Just to her right sat a cop car. And in the back seat, a squat face, looking at her impassively - remorse mirrored in his eyes. They made eye contact. He was the first to turn away.

A brief flash - a memory - of Adora waving in the diner. Her features lit up. Trusting. Carefree.

_"I think people should just give him more of a chance is all. He's really sweet. Just misunderstood."_

_"Come on, Catra._

_"He's not that bad a guy."_

A white hot rage burst from within and her struggling renewed in tenacity. She strained towards the car, her teeth grit and throat thirsting for blood.

 _You_ ….

"You  _bastard!_ "

In the following month, she would see him again on the witness stand in court, pleading guilty.

She would hear him recount the details of that night. Tell his side of the story. The  _only_  side that could be told. It wouldn't be fair.

" _I thought she loved me."_

She didn't. She loved  _her_.

" _I had to talk to her. She didn't want to listen."_

She didn't  _have to_.

" _She said I was scaring her. But I just wanted her to listen to me._

" _She wouldn't stop screaming. I_ told  _her to be quiet._

" _I was angry. She lied to me. She just_ wouldn't listen _."_

Adora's parents would be crying next to her. Her mother's muffled sobs would break her heart. Her father's grim expression would fuel her anger.

" _I didn't want to hurt her."_

So why did you?

" _I loved her."_

So did Catra.

" _She gave me no choice."_

But that was all later. For now, she could only stare helplessly as her best friend, the girl she loved, was carted away down the street, leaving Catra in the wake of where she'd died, with the man who'd committed the atrocious act.

" _...Pollux was so upset he begged Zeus to kill him so he could be with Castor again._ "

Yeah.

She understood now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In my defense....this was planned from the very beginning. This whole idea revolved around this chapter.
> 
> Y'all are probably gonna yell at me and honestly? I deserve it.


	8. Epilogue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Surprise! I had a chapter 8 planned!
> 
> I know I said only 7 chapters, but I did also have the idea to do this short little snippet. I probably could've included it in chapter 7, but it really didn't fit with the format I had there, so I decided to just make an epilogue.
> 
> (also oof. I think the end author's note is longer than this chapter lol. but I say some pretty profound things I think)

A week later, she would be standing in front of Adora's casket. She would be cleaned of all blood. All the horror. All the wrong that was done to her.

In Catra's hands, a single sunflower.

"They postponed the sunflower picking day." Her throat would be swelled shut with constrained tears. "Police are still cleaning up and gathering more evidence." The tears would fall anyway.

She would tuck the sunflower into the casket, its sunny and vibrant face too saturated in comparison to Adora's pale, lifeless one. The first sob would wrack her body violently, but she'd press on anyway.

"I managed to grab one anyway. So you still owe me fries and a milkshake."

Adora wouldn't respond and the wave of agony would bring Catra to grip the casket tightly, trying not to sink to her knees.

"But….later, okay? I'm not gonna forget."

She would reach out to touch Adora's face and immediately flinch at the cold, memories of Adora's warmth still on her fingertips.

"We'll go stargazing again too," she would promise. "Maybe….maybe you can show me where you are. So I'll know where to meet you."

And then she would gently hum to her.

_"Then you're left in the dust, unless I stuck by ya. You're a sunflower._

_"I think your love would be too much."_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So again, I want to say sorry to everyone I "deceived" with this fic. I understand why a majority of people are upset (even if they did still enjoy the story itself).
> 
> But I had my reasons (and here's where it gets deep).
> 
> My mom has always instilled in me from a young age that "you're not guaranteed to wake up tomorrow". Something that I'm pretty sure everyone is aware of to some extent, but never really thinks about it. We come up with cute things like "live life to the fullest", "YOLO", and "carpe diem"....but I don't think anyone really stops and considers the full weight of it.
> 
> Humans don't like to face their own mortality. And they also don't like to acknowledge the mortality of those they care about. So we often tend to take things for granted rather than take time to deal with these uncomfortable topics. Which is fair. No one likes to think about death more than they should.
> 
> Sometimes....we could be having one of the most mundane weeks of our lives. Sometimes there aren't any warning signs (and if there are, they might be subtle enough to easily miss). Sometimes things just happen. And we can't prepare for everything.
> 
> This fic sort of comes from a personal place. This exact situation hasn't happened to me, but just a couple months before writing this (because I started in Dec), I got into a sort of argument with my boyfriend. Then I had to sober drive for my frat where I nearly got into a wreck that would've surely killed me on impact. I was shaken when I got home and suddenly I couldn't remember what I was mad at him about. Things really got thrown into perspective for me.
> 
> TL;DR - Things are gonna happen unexpectedly. No one is guaranteed to wake up the next day or even live through today. Cherish your relationships. Savor those moments. You never know when it'll be the last ones you'll get.

**Author's Note:**

> Like my writing? Check out more at technoskittles.tumblr.com/tagged/ash-writes


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